Lyle Foster’s match-winning 79th-minute strike allowed South Africa to win first opening match at AFCON since 2004.
Revealed On 22 Dec 2025
Lyle Foster scored an excellent winner from exterior the field as South Africa defeated Angola 2-1 in Africa Cup of Nations Group B in Marrakesh on Monday, the primary time they’ve gained their opening match on the continental finals in 21 years.
South Africa additionally had a objective disallowed and struck the crossbar, nearly deserving the nervy victory. Angola additionally had possibilities and can be upset to not have gotten one thing from the sport.
Beneficial Tales
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South Africa took the lead on 21 minutes when Oswin Appollis confirmed neat footwork within the field to work a capturing probability and put the ball within the backside nook. However Angola equalised earlier than the break as Present bought a contact to Fredy’s free kick to steer the ball into the web.
The profitable second got here after 79 minutes, when Foster was teed up 20 yards out and curled his shot into the highest nook to offer the bronze medallists from two years in the past a optimistic begin to their marketing campaign.
It was a workmanlike efficiency from South Africa, who shouldn’t have the plethora of gamers in high European leagues that their match rivals take pleasure in, with Foster their just one at Premier League Burnley.
However they’re a well-oiled machine below Belgian coach Hugo Broos and did sufficient for a victory that set them effectively on target for the knockout rounds. Egypt and Zimbabwe will meet in a while Monday in the identical pool.
Even first half
South Africa took the lead after a interval of sustained possession that led to Khuliso Mudau’s cross, which was touched by each Sipho Mbule and Foster earlier than Appollis beat two defenders and side-footed into the underside nook of the web.
Angola equalised on 35 minutes when Fredy’s low free kick was touched into the underside nook by Present, his second objective in his fiftieth cap for his nation, to make it 1-1 on the break.
South Africa thought that they had retaken the lead when halftime substitute Tshepang Moremi turned his defender and fired low into the underside nook of the web, however a VAR evaluation confirmed that Foster was offside within the buildup.
South Africa’s Mbekezeli Mbokazi crashed the ball in opposition to the crossbar with a rasping shot from 35 yards, earlier than Foster’s medical strike secured all three factors.
Zambia rally to attract with Mali
In an earlier Group A match on Monday, Zambia’s Patson Daka scored with a spectacular diving header in stoppage time to see his facet come from behind and pressure a 1-1 draw with Mali in Casablanca.
Mali regarded in management for a lot of the encounter, however paid the value for sitting again within the closing levels as Zambia staged a late restoration, with Daka leaping by means of the air to pressure house Mathews Banda’s curling cross two minutes into stoppage time on the finish of the sport.
Lassine Sinayoko had taken benefit of sloppy defending to offer Mali a 62nd-minute lead after his strike accomplice, El Bilal Toure, had a first-half penalty saved.
